Method of making pipe hangers



"Feb. 21, 1933. w. H, KLAUE 1,898,878

METHOD OF MAKING PIPE HANGERS Filed July 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 qFgg' .4. c/ I1. H V 8 6/ gwumto'a U v Zjl'am fillalue i F 21, 1933. w.H. KLAUER 1,898,878

METHOD OF-MAKING PIPE- HANGERS FiledJuly 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Feb. 21, 1933 T @FFEQEE.

WILLIAM H. KLA'UER, 0F DUBUQUE, IOW'A METHOD OF MAKING PIPE HANGERSApplication filed July 18, 1927.

simple and rapid method for producing such hangers.

Heretofore, it has been found difficult to produce hangers of this kindby stamping, since the blanks from which the hangers are formedterminate in narrow shanks, so that any inaccuracy in stamping willcause the metal thereof to flow and thereby spoil the blank. Thisdificulty has, in-the past, been avoided to some extent by arbitrarilymakr ing the blanks wider, which is, of course,

wasteful of metal, or by using other methods of manufacture, which areusually more costly than stamping. The present invention aims to remedythese objections while proi 20 ducins b stam in an im roved roduct.

This is accomplished by stamping double blanks and subsequentlysplitting the double blanks to form single blanks, and by other novelfeatures, as will hereinafter be disr closed.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

' 30 Fig. 1 illustrates the manner of cutting double blanks from thesheet metal;

I Fig. 2 shows one of the double blanks split along its longitudinalaxis;

Fig. 3 shows one of the blanks having its end flattened;

Fig. 4 shows the blank after the pointing operation;

Fig. 5 shows the completed hanger;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a special die used to bend the hangers;and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

As the first step in the method, a strip of sheet metal 9 is provided,of a width equal to the length of the hangers to be made therefrom. Fromthis strip are stamped a plurality of double blanks 10, each of theblanks havin a shank 11 and an enlarged portion 12, the enlarged portionof each double blank being cut from the metal between the shanks SerialNo. 206,?69.

of the two adjacent blanks, so that adjacent blanks are in reversedposition, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Cutting the blanks in this manner leaves slugs 14 of regular shape whichmay, without machining, be used as elements in making pipe clamps orother manufactured articles.

It will be noted that a minimum of waste is produced by this method andthat each of the shanks is of suflicient Width that it may be stampedwithout danger of causing any objectionable flow of metal.

The next step in the method is to split the double blank along itscentral axis to form two single blanks 13, as shown in Fig. 2. Each ofthe single blanks is of a size to form a convenient hanger, and has ahead 16, and a narrow tapered shank 17. A shoulder 18 is provided at thejunction of the head and shank, and form a driving head adapted toreceive the hammer blows when the hanger is driven into place. Theprocess for each blank and the form of the blanks being exactly alike,the process as applied to but one of the blanks will now be described.

As the next step in the process, the blank is then swaged or flattenedat its end 15 by a stamping operation which causes the metal to flow toeach side of the normal edge line of the blank, so as to form tie endinto an approximate wedge shape, as shown in Fig. 3.

As the next step, the end 15 is trin'nned by shearing off the excessmetal flowed beyond the normal edge lines of the blank to bring the end15 approximately to a point, which is adapted to be driven into a woodenor masonry wall.

The final step is bending the shank 17 to the shape shown in Fig. 5,whereby the shank 17 is adapted to partially encircle the pipe or otherobject to be secured by the hanger.

This bending operation is performed by the apparatus shown in Figs. 6and '2, which comprises a female member 20 havi ig two shoulders 21 and22 and a channel 19 therebetween. Vertical support-i11 flanges 23 aresecured to shoulder 21 and to the surface of the channel 19, and arespaced from each other a distance equal to the thickness of one of theblanks 13, so that a groove is formed between each two adjacent flanges23 for the purpose of holding the blanks against overturning during thebending operation. The flanges 23 are preferably seated in recesses inthe member 20, but may be secured thereto by any other suitable means,or may be formed integral with the member 20. The other shoulder 22 islikewise provided with vertical supporting flanges 25 in alinement withflanges 23 and spaced from each other to form grooves adapted to receivethe shanks of the blanks to be bent.

A longitudinal recess 26 is formed along the inner edge of the shoulder21, and a holding and pivoting block 27 is seated in said recess. Block27 is so shaped that two of its longitudinal faces meet in an acuteangle to form an edge 28, which is of such sharpness and hardness as tobite or cut into the blanks sufficiently to prevent slipping ordisplacement thereof during the bending operation. The blanks pivotabout this hardened edge 28, so that a more exact conformation to theform of the die is produced.

The male member 30 of the die is provided with a' removable head 29having vertical supporting flanges 31 spaced from each other in a mannersimilar to the flanges 25 and in alinement therewith.

The operation of the device will be evident from the precedingdescription, but for convenience, the cycle of operations may be brieflyoutlined as follows:

The double blanks are first stamped from a strip of sheet metal, andeach blank is then split to form two single blanks. Each single blankthen has its end 15 flattened, and the excess metal is then sheared offto leave a point.

A plurality of these blanks are then placed upon the female die memberin an edgewise position with the driving head shoulders 18 downward andin such position as to be engaged by the block 27. As the male membercomes into contact with the blanks, the blanks enter the grooves formedthereon and the blanks are bent to shape without the possibility ofoverturning. As the blanks bend, each one is caught upon the edge of theblock 27 and held against lengthwise movement until the male member isreleased.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method of making pipe hangers, comprising stamping from sheet metala double blank having a head portion and a shank portion and drivinghead shoulders on the edges of the blank separating said head and shankportions, said shoulders being located at a distance from the transverseaxis of the blank, said blank being symmetrical about its longitudinalaxis, splitting said blank along its longitudinal axis to form twosingle blanks having head and shank portions, and bending the shankportions of the blanks in the planes of the sheet metal and away fromsaid shoulders to pipe engagin form.

2. A method of making pipe angers, comprising stamping from sheet metala double blank symmetrical about its lon itudinal axis having a headportion and a s ank ortion and driving head shoulders on the edges ofthe blank separating said head and shank portions, the transverse axisof the blank passing through the shank portion, said shoulders beinglocated at a distance from said transverse axis and on the same sidethereof as said head portion, the head portion being wider at saidshoulders than the shank portion, the edges of the head portion slopinginwardly from the shoulders to the end of the blank, whereby when theblank is split along its longitudinal axis said head portion will bedivided into two spike portions, splitting said blank along its lon'tudinal axis to form two single blanks o the same shape but oppositelydisposed, said single blanks each comprising a shank portion and a spikeportion, the shank portion bein longer than the spike portion, one edge0 the blank being straight, the other edge having a driving headshoulder separating the shank and spike portions, the spike portion atsaid shoulder being wider than the shank portion, the other edge of thespike portion sloping inwardly from the shoulder to the end of theblank, then bending the shank portions in the plane of the sheet metalin the direction of the longitudinal axis of the dollble blank and awayfrom the shoulders into pipe engaging form.

3. A method of making pipe hangers, comprising stamping from sheet metala double blank having a head portion and a shank portion and drivinghead shoulders on the edges of the blank se arating said head and shankportions, said blank being symmetrical about its longitudinal axis,splitting said blank along its longitudinal axis to form two singleblanks having head and shank portions, and bending the shank portions ofthe blanks in the planes of the sheet metal and away from said shouldersto pipe engaging form.

WILLIAM H. KLAUER.

